Place I Belong
by A new dreamer
Summary: Just a one shot that I couldn't get out of my head. See what Eva's gotten herself into this time with my own little flair on things. Not related to any of my other stories. Might come back to work on this at a later date. Idea up for adoption.


AND: I know, I know! What is she doing writing this when she should be working on Earth. Well, I get hit by the inspiration fairy and this idea would NOT go away. This will be just one long one shot. Has nothing to do with any of my other Oban stories.

Disclaimer: I do own nothing.

Warning: Much OOCness in some characters. Please don't hurt me.

Place I Belong

Eva leaned back against the cool metal of the shuttle. There were small arms blasts going off around her. She and two other teenagers, the last survivors of their class, huddled near her with tears running down their faces. Eva tensed as she heard footsteps approaching. The other girls cried out, giving away their location. Eva cringed back and hid deeper in the shadows. Instinct she had never used before took charge of here body.

"Well, well," the mercenaries said as they poked into the trios hiding place. The two girls cried harder. The mercenaries sneered at them and stabbed them. Eva shivered and pulled deeper into the shadows. One of the mercenaries turned his bulbous yellow eyes to stare at her. She let out a muffled yelp as he moved to kill her. A wet thwack echoed in the air. Another wet squelch fluttered into her ears a moment later.

"You all right, missy?" a soft, female voice asked. Eva opened her eyes and stared at a woman, a human woman who looked like a futuristic Xena. She looked to be about three years older than Eva, making the strange woman an even 18. Her hair, ruby red with golden highlights, draped over her back in a long braid. Her eyes were crimson, similar to Eva's own. But the feature that most surprised Eva was the tattoos on the woman's face: a sun and bar on opposing cheeks.

"I'm ok," Eva whispered and stepped into the light. The woman's eyebrows rose to her hairline upon seeing her.

"Interestin'" she whispered and pulled Eva along behind her, heading for a dock on the large shuttle.

"I take it you were with the other young 'uns?" the woman asked. Eva struggled in her grip for a moment before giving up. The woman had far too great a hold on her.

"Yeah, what of it?" she asked.

The woman glanced back at her and shook her head. "You are the last one of your group alive. You're a survivor, and if I'm right, it runs in your blood. Now, we've got to be quiet so those idiots don't spot us. I'll get you to my ship and take you back to my base. Then you can decide if you want to go back to your home."

The two moved silently, or as silently as they could. Eva was not known for her stealth. Slowly, but surely, the two approached where the red head's ship was connected with the shuttle. Surrounding the port were at least 10 armed mercenaries. Eva heard the woman curse lowly under her breath.

"They should know better than to try an' stop one of the Unseelie," she whispered and pulled out a long, wicked looking knife. "By the Old Ones, let my skills come on top. You stay here, missy."

With those simple words, the woman dashed out in the hall and caught every guard's attention. She smirked as they all growled and aimed their guns at her. Her eyes grew large and seemed to glow for a minor moment before she moved faster than the mercenaries could follow.

Eva had no trouble keeping up with her.

There was a swift movement and one of the long necked, lizard-skinned mercenaries was dead from a stab wound to the back of the head. Blue blood stained the cold metal floor. Eva continued to watch in horror as the woman moved about fluidly, as if she was dancing. Blue blood began to stain the walls and ceiling as she moved among the enemy. Plasma blasts from the guns scorched the walls and left an acrid smell in the air as they missed their target and hit each other. Soon, all of the mercenaries were lying dead at the red haired woman's feet. She stood up from her crouch, flipped her hair back, and made a motion for Eva to come to her.

Eva, now terrified by what she had seen, followed automatically. Her mind had shut down at the gruesome images. Everything from the last few hours was catching up to her. She had barely made it inside the woman's ship before darkness claimed her.

* * *

Eva awoke to a warm, spicy aroma floating about her body. She noticed she was wrapped in a rather fuzzy dark blue blanket and on a hard cot. Slowly, Eva forced herself to sit up and took a look around. She knew she had to be on the woman's ship. That was the last thing she remembered before she had passed out.

"You're awake, missy? Good, now drink this. Until we can get to the Base this is what we have to eat. I wasn't expecting to run into trouble out here. The Earth military usually patrols this area fairly well," the red headed woman said and handed Eva a steaming mug of some type of soup.

"Well, you probably want to know what happened, right?" the woman asked as Eva quietly drank down the soup. "To start off with, my name's Inarhi. I'm a member of the Unseelie Mercenary troop. Don't be scared of me, now, missy. We've got a code of honor we follow religiously."

"Now, I was coming back from an escort job on the Phyll home world for the family of one of our mercs. I get this distress call and decide to check it out. As my mother says, my curiosity will one day get me killed. Well, that's when I found your ship. I docked with it and found the Mericruin mercenaries killing off everyone inside. Now, I couldn't and wouldn't normally interfere with another mercenary group's job, but I noticed the children's bodies," Inarhi said and stopped suddenly. Her mind raced back to those moments when she saw the bodies of all those young 'uns lying in their own blood. A chill ran up her spine.

"I decided to get back at them. Never get an Unseelie woman angry at you, missy. We're beasts within civilized flesh. Anyway, I stared to hunt the bastards down and found you and those poor girls. Wish I could have gotten there sooner. That's when I killed those two and you know the rest," she finished.

Eva stared at her for a moment. "Do you always talk that fast?"

Inarhi twitched and began to laugh. Eva chuckled and soon began to laugh hard.

"My name is Eva Wei," she said, introducing herself to her hostess. The woman had not harmed her yet and looked to be human.

Inarhi's head snapped up upon hearing her name. The older woman's face paled dramatically as she stared at the teenager. Eva began to fidget uncomfortably.

"Your father is Don Wei, correct?" Inarhi asked softly, a small bit of hope radiating from her eyes.

"Yes, but what does that matter?" Eva asked with a tilt of her head. Inarhi didn't answer. She simply got up and moved over to a cabinet on the other side of the room. Though nervous about the woman's reaction, Eva took the time to look around the rather spacious room. There was a bed on the opposite wall and a small kitchenette thing against another. The door was right next to the bed, which Eva found very odd. Overall, the room would have been very comfortable to live in if it hadn't been for one thing. On every wall were weapons. Blasters, swords, daggers, staffs, spears, clubs, it didn't make the difference. Nearly every bit of the walls was covered din some form of weaponry.

"Here," Inarhi said, handing Eva a framed picture. She looked down at it and gasped. Her mother's face stared back at her. She quickly looked up at the red head. "That's my aunt. She left the family years ago, before I was born. Some of the family kept an eye on her when she got married, but she found out about that and threatened to kill any other Unseelies she found watching her."

"She's my mom," Eva whispered, lovingly tracing the photo behind the frame. "She was murdered when I was little."

Inarhi's nostrils flared as she heard that. "Who killed her?"

"Kanaletto," Eva hissed out after a moment. She still had dreams about that being taking control of her body, the things he had said, what he had wanted to do to her. Eva was forever grateful to Jordan for his sacrifice for her life. He had essentially lost his own to protect not only her, but the rest of the universe as well.

"He's been taken care of," Eva continued after a moment. "I watched him be destroyed earlier this year."

"I see," Inarhi said and took the photo back. "Mother and grandmother will want to talk to you. Go back to sleep. We'll be at Base in a few hours."

* * *

Base was the mother ship for the Unseelie mercenaries. It was huge, with enough space to dock twenty 50 personnel ships. Eva was looking around so much she thought she would develop whiplash. The interior of the Base was beautiful with its dark blue walls and dark green carpet. Inarhi had explained the liking of dark colors because they hid blood so well. Eva thought she was joking.

Inarhi stood tall. Many of the beings they passed gave her respectful nods and curious glances at the human following her. Eva had gotten a crash course in the history of the Unseelie. According to Inarhi, her grandmother, Danah, had stared the Unseelie after leaving Earth due to the horrible political situation. She had been very successful under the group she had traveled with, but decided to break out on her own. She would not turn any race away from helping her take jobs. Thus, the Unseelie had gotten to the point they could take any job from delivering a package to assassination and everything in between.

The Unseelie were broken up into three ranks: the Court, High Guard, Regulars. The Court consisted of Danah and her children. The High Guard was the most trusted of the Unseelie mercenaries. They protected the Court and took the near suicide jobs. The Regulars were just that, the regular mercenaries who handled the normal jobs. Overall, the Unseelie got around 100 requests for jobs a month. Most of them went to the regulars with a few going to the High Guard. Every once in a while a Court member would take a job just like Inarhi had done.

"It gets boring staying around here constantly," the red head had said in explanation.

Now Eva stood before a large, ornate door with carvings of various Earth predators, like tigers and wolves, reaching up to the skies. Inarhi grinned and pushed the doors open without knocking. Eva stood in shock but was pulled into the dark room by Inarhi.

"Grandmother! I found someone on my last job you will definitely want to meet!" she called out. There were grumbles from all over the room. Inarhi just grinned like a fox and pulled Eva toward a low table with an older human woman sitting at it.

The old woman wore fine clothing of purple color. At her side were three swords and five daggers. The old woman's wine colored eyes bore into Eva's soul.

"Grandchild, why have you brought this one into our family's sanctuary?" the elder woman, Dinah Eva guessed, said.

"I am the daughter of Maya," Eva whispered.

Frantic whispering broke out all around her. Eva spun around to look into the shadows where the voices were coming from. Alas, she could see no one hiding there.

"You hear them then?" Dinah said, tapping on the table. Eva turned her attention back to the old woman. "You hear the spirits of war who followed me as I escaped from that forsaken land. They have taught and protected my family and my friends for so long I have forgotten the years."

Eva gasped and squeaked in fright as she felt something slide over her arms. It felt cold, like water rushing over her limbs. She took a shaky breath and looked around. Inarhi and Dinah were both smiling at her.

"You mother wanted nothing to do with my lifestyle. My other daughter, Cassiopeia, chose my path. Maya fled to Earth, married, had you, and died young. Now you stand before me. Everything comes full circle. Will you stay, my granddaughter?" Dinah asked, rising strong legs. Though old and heavily battle scarred, the old woman was still very healthy and fit for her age. She would not let herself be taken unawares.

Eva looked ahead. She could understand what they were asking. She could feel the humming in her blood to agree. But doubts clouded her mind. Could she really become a mercenary for her family? What about her father who surely thought her as dead?

She made up her mind.

* * *

Eva stared at the sandy landscape. She had finally made it to Naurasia to visit Aikka, like she had promised him at Oban. The Naurasians watched the cloaked figure enter the palace city, but thought little of it. Many nomads traveled using cloaks to keep out sand and dry winds that sucked the water away from skin.

Eva looked up at the gleaming white palace and smirked. She wandered around the palace city for a while, listening to local gossip. She was thankful for the development of a translator she wore in one ear. She could understand the language the common people were speaking. Most of what she learned was useless, except for one little thing.

Someone had tried to assassinate the prince.

Now, Eva was normally a calm person, but she was friends, and had a crush on, the Naurasian prince. She was angry. Quickly, she made her way through the palace city and neared the palace itself. Guards watched her warily, but did not try to stop her. Odd beings, mostly those seeking asylum from nearby planets, often petitioned the royal family for safety.

She looked around her in wonder at the gardens the royal family maintained. It was truly beautiful. Fountains of pure, crystal clear water gave the dark green and golden foliage a beautiful shine. Eva stared at it for a few moments before someone decided to speak to her.

"You enjoy the gardens?' a familiar voice said from behind her. Eva's eyes widened as she spun around to get a good look at who was speaking to her.

Prince Aikka had not changed much since Oban. He wore the same clothing and held himself in the same way. Eva smirked under the hood of her cloak.

"The gardens are magnificent, your highness," she said softly. "You must take great pride in them."

"I have not seen you here before, but your voice is familiar," he said, looking at her oddly. "Have we met before?"

"We have," she said with a slight nod. "I still haven't thanked you enough for saving me back then, your highness."

He looked on perplexed at this being before him. He knew it was a female and that he had met her in the past. Now she was saying he had saved her life. That narrowed the list in his mind down to a very select few. His eyes widened as the dots connected.

"Molly?" he whispered.

Eva grinned as she lowered her hood. The prince stared at her in shock. "It is good to see you again, Prince Aikka."

"Son," an older male voice called from the nearby steps. The Naurasian King, Alistor, watched his son's meeting with the strange female.

"Your highness," Eva said with a bow. She did know her manners, no matter what anyone else thought.

"Miss," he said gently. He could see how much his son liked this female. Now if only he could figure out whom she was.

"My name is Eva Wei, from Earth, but you probably know me better as Molly," she said with a slight wince. "My father was the cause of the name change during the race. He did not recognize me, thus he would not know his own daughter by her true name."

"The welcome, champion of Oban," the king said in slight shock. "Why have you come here, if I may ask?"

Eva smiled. "I did make a promise to your son to one day come and see your beautiful planet. I must say he was right about the beauty of it."

Aikka blushed under his father's look. It was well known the prince favored the Earth champion from Oban. She had pretty much just verified it for the king.

"Welcome to Naurasia then, my dear. I must ask for you to stay at least a night with us here in the palace. It is not everyday the champion of Oban comes to visit," Alistor said. Eva bowed to him and gave her acceptance.

Phase 1 complete.

* * *

Eva stared into the long mirror in her room. If she had known the king would through a ball for her arrival, she would have never come. She slowly put on her dress of yellow fabric, smooth and silky to the touch, and stared at her reflection.

While Aikka had not changed much since Oban, she had. Her hair was still short and half red, but it seemed spikier, which was no surprise. She was taller and had filled out quite nicely if the male attention she had been receiving was any idea.

"I hate getting dressed up," she muttered, dragging a hand through her thick hair. A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie.

"Milady," one of the Naurasian guards said with a bow and offered her his arm. He was to be her escort to her escort, Prince Aikka. Really, it all seemed very obtuse and old fashioned to her. A woman did not always need a chaperone.

Eva stared at the finely dressed Naurasians surrounding her. Aikka chuckled as he saw her wide eyed look. It was true his people liked to show off a bit. A servant came by and handed them both a glass of a fine wine. Eva smiled at him and graciously accepted her glass. That would make her a great queen one day he thought as he watched her. She had compassion galore. He raised his glass to his mouth when Eva grabbed his arm.

"Don't drink it," she said softly as to not raise the suspicions of those around her. "It's been poisoned."

She titled her drink so he could see the once pure red wine had turned a dark green. He gave her a confused look.

"A poison reveling powder I always carry around with me now. It's saved my life more than a few times," she said with a grim look. She looked out over all of the people gathered and sighed. "You assassin is here. Just relax and everything will be taken care of."

He gave her an odd look as she raised her pointer finger and thumb to her lips and blew. A loud, sharp whistle followed by tow more quick bursts fled into the air. The Naurasians around her glared before all hell broke loose.

From the shadows three women emerged and converged on a single Naurasian. Eva smirked as he tried to fight them off. He glared at her and Aikka before throwing a dagger at the two of them. The three females pounced on him, quickly shutting him up and tying him up for the king.

Eva watched as the dagger got closer. She quickly, at a speed unseen, pulled out a dagger of her own and batted the flying dagger away from her and Aikka. She smirked at the wide eyed Naurasian noble who had tried to kill the prince.

"I believe that this is what you paid us for, milady," Eva said as she turned to address the queen, who was staring passively at the bound would-be assassin.

"Yes," she said. "I'll have your payment to you by morning."

"We aren't done here yet," Eva said with a small sadistic grin. The three shadow women looked at her and nodded before disappearing back into the shadows.

"Give me and mine a few hours and anyone who was part of this assassination plot will be at your mercy," she said. Everyone was staring at her in fear and shock.

"How?" Aikka whispered hoarsely, still startled by his close brushes with death.

"I have a name that most of the galaxy knows me by," Eva said with a coy smile. "You may call me the Unseelie Princess."

AND: Done. Anyone who wants to pick this up from here can take it, just tell me about it. I just needed to get this off my mind before working on Earth. Enjoy!


End file.
